21221 Organisational Structure and Change

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

UTS: Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 21129 Managing People and Organisations OR 22157 Australian Corporate Environment OR 48260 Engineering Project Management OR 16910 Project Management 1
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 21512 Understanding Organisations: Theory and Practice

Handbook description

This subject considers the various structural forms that organisations may take and the pressures which led to their adoption. It covers the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the management challenges, of running each form. Various change models are examined, and the interaction of the organisational change process with the forces driving change is considered. The impact of internationalisation and current organisational design issues are discussed.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. demonstrate a knowledge of organisational effectiveness and how it may be assessed
2. identify and discuss the applicability of the various basic organisational structural forms
3. analyse the contingencies which influence the structure of organisations (e.g. environment, technology, strategy, etc.)
4. analyse organisational characteristics such as culture, change and life cycle issues
5. relate the material to current organisational practice.

Contribution to course aims and graduate attributes

Organisational Structure and Change is a macro-organisational subject which is designed to provide students with a firm understanding of how organisation structure and design contributes to the achievement of the organisation's goals. After completing the subject, students should be aware of the choices which may be made in relation to the structure and design of organisations and how these contribute to effectiveness. Additional organisational issues such as culture, change, growth and decline are discussed as a means of providing students with concepts which extend the understanding of organisations. The subject is approached in such a way as to expand understanding of management processes. The relationship between macro-organisational issues and effective HRM practices is also highlighted.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject is delivered through a combination of face-to-face teaching strategies, discussions, videos and student-centred reading. A typical three-hour session involves a one-hour (approximately) face-to-face presentation. The balance of the time is taken up with case studies and student presentations. The reading of appropriate course material is an essential component of the teaching strategy.

Content

• Organisational effectiveness and how to measure it
• The basic structural forms and their strengths and weaknesses
• How the contingencies of technology, environment, size, strategy and power affect structure
• The dynamics of the organisational life cycle, growth and decline
• Organisational culture and change and the change process
• The emergence of new organisational forms

Assessment

Assessment Item 1: Structural Analysis ??? written submission (individual)

Objective(s):	5
Weighting:	35

Assessment Item 2: Seminar Presentation (group)

Objective(s):	2–5
Weighting:	15

Assessment Item 3: Final examination (individual)

Weighting:

50

Minimum requirements

Students must obtain 40% in the final examination to pass the subject as well achieving a total mark of at least 50%. An “X” grade will be given to students who do not achieve 40% in the exam this but whose total mark exceeds 50%.

Required texts

Robbins, S P and Barnwell, N S (2006) Organisation Theory: Concepts and Cases, 5th ed, Prentice Hall, Sydney.

Readings provided through UTSOnline.

Faculty of Business (2006) Guide to Writing Assignments, Faculty of Business, University of Technology, Sydney.

References

The following is a list of readings and texts which you might find useful to guide your research for your assessment. Additional reading materials will be provided on UTSOnline under the side-tab 'READINGS' during the semester.

Bolman L.G. and Deal T., (2003) Reframing Organisations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership, Third Edition, Jossey Bass, San Francisco

Daft R.L., (2007), Organisational Theory and Design, Ninth Edition, South Western Cincinatti OH. (Any previous edition would be useful.)

De Gues, A. (1997). The Living Company, Harvard Business Review, Mar-April.

Donaldson, L., (2001) The Contingency Theory of Organizations, Sage, Thousand Oaks; Ca.

Evan, W.M., (1976) Organization Theory: Stuctures, Systems & Environments, Wiley: USA.

Evan, W. M., (1993), Organization Theory: Research and Design, Macmillan, New York.

Galbraith, J. (2001) Designing Organizations: An Executive guide to Strategy, Strategy, Structure and Process New York Jossey-Bass

Goold, M. and Campbell, A., (2002) Designing Effective Organizations: How to Create Structured Networks, London, Jossey-Bass.

Greenwald, H.P., (2008), Organizations: Management without Control, Sage: Ca.

Hancock, P. and Tyler, M., (2001), Work, Postmodernism and Organization: A Critical Introduction, Sage, London.

Harrison, M.T. and Beyer, J.M., (1993) The Cultures of Work Organizations Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs N.J.

Hatch, M. J., (2006), Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic and Postmodern Perspectives, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Jones, C. & Munro, R. (Eds) (2005) Contemporary Organization Theory, Blackwell, UK

Jones, M.A., Moore, M.D., & Snyder, R.C. (Eds), (1998) Inside Organizations: Understanding the Human Dimension, Sage:Ca.

Kanter, R.M., Stein, B.A., and Todd, D.J., (1992), The Challenge of Organisational Change: How Companies Experience it and Leaders Guide it, Free Press, New York.

Kao, J.J., (1991), The Entrepreneural Organisation, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

Kotter, J.P. and Heskett, J.L., (1992), Corporate Culture and Performance, Free Press, New York

Mintzberg, H., (1993) Structuring in Fives: Designing Effective Organisations, PrenticeHall, Englewood Cliffs N.J.

Morgan, G., (1997) Images of Organisations, Sage, Thousand Oaks Ca.

Nadler, D. A. and Tushman, M.L., (1997), Competing by Design: The Power of Organizational Architecture, Oxford University, Press Oxford.

Ostroff, F., (1999) The Horizontal Organization, Oxford University Press, New York.

Pettigrew, A. (ed) (2003) Innovative Forms of Organizing, Sage London

Pfeffer, J., (1982), Organizations and Organization Theory, Pitman: London.

Semler, R., (1993) Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace, Warner, New York.

Senge, P.M., (1992), The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation, Random House, Sydney.

Schein, E. (1996) Organizational Culture and Leadership San Francisco Jossey-Bass

Tolbert, P.S. & Hall, R.H., (2009) Organization: Structures, Processes and Outcomes, Pearson: New Jersey.

There are a number of academic journals covering organisational issues. These include Administrative Science Quarterly, Organizational Dynamics, Organizational Studies, California Management Review, Academy of Management Journal and Academy of Management Review. The Harvard Business Review also carries articles relevant to the matters discussed in this subject. Journals aimed at a managerial audience, such as The Economist, Business Review Weekly, Business Week, Management Today and The Australian Financial Review are very useful as a source of organisation structures. But specific issues are normally embedded in articles covering such issues as strategy.